75th Hunger Games: Double the Number
by WiseBlondeWarrior
Summary: It's the 75th annual Hunger Games, and, in spirit of the Quarter Quell, double the number of tributes are being put into the arena. Players, welcome to The Games.
1. The Reaping

"**If all the rules were meant to bend  
And you swore you were my friend  
Now I have to start all over again  
Cause no one's going to take your place  
And I'm scared we'll never save  
All the pieces of the love we made  
And I'm so sorry  
It's not like me  
It's maturity  
That I'm lacking  
So don't  
Don't let me go  
Just let me know  
That I can slip and fall  
And you won't let me go  
Just let me know  
That growing up goes slow…"**

**~Christina Perri**

**~District 1~**

Thalia woke up in her room and walked over to her brother's bed. "Get up, Jason; it's today." She walked into the kitchen, still in her mini sky blue nightgown. Her mom slid a plate of food in front of her and said, "Your clothes are in your bathroom." The blue eyed girl scarfed down her eggs and bacon so she could get away from the woman sitting across the oak table. She took a shower, brushed her hair out, and slipped on her dress.

It was a flowing dress, lavender in color. It had layers leading down to her knees and was made of a wispy fabric that would have been see-through if not for the many layers. She completed the look with some makeup, jewelry, and dark purple shoes. She walked out to see Jason in a black suit with his blonde hair combed back. She smiled and gave him a hug. "How many times is your name in?"

"Twenty three."

"Mine's nineteen."

Their mom barged in and said, "It's the Quarter Quell. We can't be late." Thalia asked her mom what the special twist was. Her mom looked grave as she said, "They have double the number of tributes, so do me a favor; get Reaped today."

* * *

Thalia said good-bye to Jason and walked to her square after registration. Effie Trinket walked up to her podium after the film. "Welcome, District 1, to the 75th annual Hunger Games! As you know, we are now taking in double the number of tributes, so instead of 24, we have 48 people. Let's start with the girls first." She pulled out two pieces of paper and opened them. "Glimmer Adams and Thalia Grace." Thalia's eyes flickered to the golden haired girl who would most likely kill her. They stepped up onto the stage. "Marvel Jacobs and Jason Grace… well, this is a surprise! It looks like we have some siblings up here. Let's give them a hand!" A round of applause went through the crowd. Glimmer and Marvel were obviously Careers, but Thalia refused the training and she wouldn't let Jason join. She grasped Jason's hand led him to the train. "Why us, Thals?" Jason asked. Thalia sighed and said, "I don't know." She then started humming something. "Do you remember our song?" she asked he nodded.

She started singing softly.

"_So far away _

_Beneath the trees _

_Under the branches and the leaves_

_There's a bright future for us_

_Being alone is not enough_

_I'm here for you_

_You're here for me_

_And you know that wherever you may be_

_I'm still waiting_

_For you and me."_

Jason smiled as she finished the first part. Marvel and Glimmer burst in. "So, you two aren't Careers?" They shook their heads. Glimmer laughed and said, "Well, don't worry; you won't be here for long, pretty boy." Thalia strode over to her, grabbed her throat with one hand, and hoisted her into the air. "Don't _ever _talk to my brother like that!" she snarled. Glimmer clawed at Thalia's hand and nodded. She dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Come on, Jason, let's go find our mentor."

* * *

**~District 2~**

Her blonde hair ruffled as she breathed in and out. Two little boys ran into her room screaming and chasing each other. "Annabeth, make him give me back my sword!" The girl stood up and snatched the word out of one little boys' hand and gave it to the other. "I don't know why you care so much about this stupid thing. It's just plastic."

"I'm preparing!"

"You're not going to get chosen, you know that, right?"

The boy shrugged and exited the room. "Get out of here; I need to get dressed." The other boy skipped up to her and grabbed her hand. "Are you gonna look pretty, Annie? Are you?" Annabeth smiled and said she would try her best. She put on a blue dress and white heels before her mom said it was time to go. "Why don't you have makeup on? If you get picked, you're going to look horrible." She just shrugged as she walked to her section.

She stood next to Malcolm, a boy she had talked to on occasion. "Are they gonna do the same video?" he asked. "They always do. I don't see why not. I think it keeps us all bored so they have an easier time subduing us." They chuckled before Effie Trinket walked up on stage. Annabeth did something she rarely did: ask for a favor. "If my brothers are picked will you take their place?" she asked Malcolm.

It was a big favor to ask. She grabbed his hand as he said, "Of course."

"Annabeth Chase and Clove Marshall!" She briefly looked at the girl's brown eyes with her own gray ones. Two small people ran up and latched themselves onto her waist. "Don't go, Annie!" one screamed. "You can't go!" the other yelled. "I have to. I'm not letting you go either, but I have to do this," she responded quietly. She looked nervously at her competitor, noticing she had no one tell her goodbye. "Well, this is very brave of you, dearie. Do we have any volunteers?" Effie asked. One girl stepped out: Kayla, who was so frail and small she would be dead in a minute. Annabeth's eyes widened. "Since we have double the number of tributes, we are required to accept volunteers. Do you accept her to take your place?"

"No."

"Alrighty, then, onto the boys!"

"Matthew Chase and Cato Anderson!"

Annabeth gave Malcolm a pleading glance as they twelve year old marched on stage and grabbed Annabeth's hand. "Matthew, Malcolm is going to volunteer. You're going to have to accept it, okay, sweetheart?" Matthew nodded with tears in his eyes. "Do I have any volunteers?" Malcolm stepped up to the plate. "I accept." He walked back to his section while never taking his eyes off of his sister.

* * *

On the train Annabeth sat down in a plush chair. Malcolm walked up to her and took her hand again. She broke down crying and then someone slapped her back. "Come on, it's an honor to be chosen!" the girl exclaimed. Annabeth glared at her through her tears. "I'm being sent into an arena to die. How is that an honor?" Clove scoffed and said, "You have too much tying you here. Better now to get it over with than to set yourself up for disaster later!"

Maybe, just maybe… she was right.

* * *

**~District 3~**

Leo woke up groggy and dizzy. _What happened last night? _He thought. He observed the surroundings and passed out people. _Oh, yeah, that's what happened._

He'd had a big party the night before. "Leo Valdez, get your butt down here!" a shrill call came. _Crap, the Reaping! _He rushed downstairs to find Tia Callida making breakfast. "I found an old suit for you. It's in the bathroom, and Leo…" she turned to him with a knowing glint in her eyes. "Please clean up your guests."

Technically, his clothes weren't a suit, but a white button down shirt and some black dress pants. "Leo, it's time to go!" Tia called.

Leo hadn't expected it. He didn't even hear the other tributes' names. He heard his name and another girl's name: Nyssa. She was pretty, I guess.

She had dark brown hair that tied into a loose ponytail. She was wearing a pink shirt and white capris that were off-balanced by gray combat boots. They boarded the train and Nyssa sat across the table from him and said something.

"I don't like you, but I don't want to have to kill you. So stay out of my way, I'll let you live; get in the way of things, I will personally kill with my bare hands."

The creepiest part about was something that Leo noticed before she left the compartment: she was wearing blood red lipstick, giving off the impression that she had just sucked someone's blood…

And Leo didn't doubt she would.

* * *

**~District 4~**

Katie rubbed her eyes and woke up to find her closet open with a note.

_Katie,_

_I can't be there for the Reaping, sorry, but I have work to do. I have prepared your clothes on your old bed. Try not to get Reaped, okay?_

_~Dad_

She sighed and went to go and get ready. She straightened her hair, put on makeup, and looked at her outfit. It was an extremely short, sky blue dress with slightly darker leggings, and white flip flops. She sighed and walked outside to smell the fresh sea air.

She clicked on her stereo to her favorite channel. It was full of music from before the Dark Days, people with such strange names, like Christina Perri, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Beiber. Right now a girl named Natasha Beningfield was singing about a pocketful of sunshine. Such a good song, such an inappropriate time.

* * *

Katie locked eyes with a boy who had shaggy black hair and green eyes, like hers. Come to think of it, her dad had black hair, but she had brown hair… and the boy's mother had the exact same shade. She shook her head, dismissing those ridiculous fantasies.

Katie had always wanted a brother, but today she was lucky she didn't. "Katie Gardner…" Effie said, but Katie's mind refused to register the other name. "Percy Jackson…" The boy joined her onstage and looked at her again.

Yes, Katie Gardner was certain that she was very lucky she didn't have anyone to say goodbye to, much less a brother.

* * *

**~District 5~**

Drew woke up with bed-head as usual. Her image didn't resist the sweet surrender of sleep, so she looked horrible in the morning. She walked up to her mirror.

Her usually shiny black hair was limp and lifeless; her luscious lips were cracked and dry; her flawless skin was full of bumps and blemishes.

She sighed and got to work. She started with a shower, washing her face, body, and hair. Then she got to work on her hair. To get it into her ringlets, she straightened it then used a curling iron. Her makeup took an hour on its own.

She applied a basic base and then went onto erasing her pimples, dark circles, and worry lines. For her sixteenth birthday, she got a special cream that erased all of these things and was refilled automatically when it ran out. She then put on several shades of eyeshadow, blush, lip stick, and lip gloss. The public Drew was ready to go.

She opened her massive closet and saw the one object that would be good enough: a blood red dress.

It was almost a bikini, but with the torso and the waist ending in points and being held together with a real ruby. She completed the look with double platforms. She sighed and strutted out of her home without saying goodbye to anybody; despite her tough exterior, she was too weak for goodbyes.

She stood in her section with some other people below her on a social level. _I shouldn't be here; I should be relaxing by my pool, not here with- _

She cut herself off in her thoughts. She was about to think "Power-hungry idiots," but she was one herself.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, she and another girl were sitting in the dining compartment. The other redhead was digging into her food with glee. "You might want to eat that, you know," someone said. A boy was standing there, with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Why should I?" Drew asked nastily. "When you're in the arena, I guarantee that you probably won't have any food."

"I'll just join the Careers!"

"Fat chance; that's like someone from Twelve joining. Have fun starving."

* * *

**~District 6~**

**Long story short, PJO tributes are Chris Rodriguez and Lacy.**

**We're going to skip six, because …**

**!SPOILER!**

**All of the tributes from there are going to die at the Cornucopia.**

* * *

**~District 7~**

Lee Fletcher blinked from the glare of the sun. He had been in an abandoned warehouse since 4 AM, shooting targets. He took a deep breath as he notched another arrow. A slight creak of metal set his senses on high alert. Instead of shooting it at the target he looked around frantically for the source of the noise.

The door he had foolishly left open revealed a girl with brown hair and very pretty eyes. She squealed and ran away.

_Idiot! I can't believe I left the stupid door open! She'll go and tell the Peacekeepers now!_

* * *

Lee had on a suit and was standing in his section. The film passed and Effie Trinket called out the two girls. One was the girl who had seen him shooting arrows before. She was wearing a royal blue square neck shirt with lighter blue sequins. She was wearing a regular pair of blue jeans and some old paddock boots. She either didn't think much of herself or she wasn't trying to draw attention to herself.

Lee's name was drawn and he stepped up. He shook hands with the girls and they boarded the train. She left the room immediately and went off somewhere, leaving only three of them in the room. He followed her to ask how much she had seen.

She stopped in the medical room, broke off the lock on one of the cabinets, and opened it. She took a syringe, filled it with a clear liquid, and inserted it into her wrist. The girl sighed happily before she caught sight of Lee. "I won't tell on you, you won't tell on me?" she asked. He nodded and left, hoping this deal would last until she died in the arena.

* * *

**~District 8~**

Silena woke up to a dark morning… at least, her clock told her it was about 3 in the morning. She had spent the last half hour pondering her dream and staring out at the pounding rain.

_Silena ran through a heavily forested area, branches catching her hair, face, and arms. She heard yet another cannon blast, signaling that someone was dead. She sincerely hoped it wasn't someone she knew closely. Her foot caught on a tree root and she fell to her knees. She could hear people laughing and calling her from behind. She scrambled up and ran into cold glass. _

_She looked at herself in her Reaping outfit: a short red dress, black tights, and black high heel boots with red lipstick and her black hair in a ponytail._

_In her reflection, she saw someone notch and arrow and turned to see Will Solace. "Don't even think about running. If I kill you now, you don't die painfully; if I don't, you die at the hands of the Careers. Do you really have an option?"_

_He shot the arrow._

Silena had woken up before the arrow pierced her body. She had a powerful inclination that this will actually happen, and she'll choose Will's option.

* * *

Silena's throat hurt as she stared determinedly anywhere but her best friend's eyes. "Silena, are you okay?" Will asked in concern. She gave a noncommittal shrug. "Okay, then."

She sighed as she walked up on stage as she knew she would… with Will.

* * *

**~District 9~**

Bright blue eyes opened to a brand new day, if a depressing one, but every day has a new opportunity. The boy was in college now, rooming with a girl named Miranda because they were both last minute sign ups. Miranda ate her cereal in silence, her green eyes downcast. She was trying to cram in some last minute food like she always did.

Her brown hair was elaborately curled and she was wearing a very pale green dress, regular white stilettos, and no makeup. The boy sighed and smiled.

That was so Miranda: trying to be as regular as possible. "I'm going to say goodbye to Connor. See you later." It seems that she, too, felt the certain air of despair in the dorm. He was already dressed in a traditional white button down shirt and dress pants.

Twenty minutes later, he was standing there, trying not to look at anyone but Effie; he just couldn't look at the dread of the rest of his district.

"Luke Castellan… Miranda Samuels…"

* * *

**~District 10~**

Instead of opening his eyes to the shambles that was his home, Nico's hand went out across the other edge of the bed, searching wildly before finding his counterpart's hand. He grabbed it, thankful for the company.

His dark brown eyes opened to see the girl on the other side of the bed. They sat up and looked at each other. "We need to do some cleaning when we get back," Bianca said. Nico, the pessimist, shook his head as he climbed out of the twin bed they shared. "We might not even come back."

Both being fourteen, they could barely afford to keep a house. With one of them gone, the other would crash and burn. "Nicky, we'll come back, I promise. We didn't even sign up for tesserae! Our names are only in there once each!"

"B, it's still possible, no matter what the odds. Besides, our odds are doubled since they're taking in double the number of tributes." He slid on a white t-shirt and dark jeans with sneakers. She put on a dark gray turtle neck long sleeve, dark jeans, and combat boots. "B, are those my boots?" Nico asked. She nodded and tossed him a leather jacket. "Put it on, and if either one of us is chosen, we'll be remembered for our 'horrible fashion sense.'" They both smiled and gave each other a hug.

* * *

_"Bianca DiAngelo…"_

That was the name ringing through Nico's head as he ran up to grab his sister's wrist. "Nico, let go, go back to your section, and stay there," Bianca said. "You can't tell me what to do, Bianca. You're not older than me." Bianca spared a glance behind her at the Peacekeepers. "I might not be able to tell you what to do, but _they _can. Let go, Nicky!"

"I will never let go, B, not for as long as I live."

She ran up to Effie, with much resistance from Nico pulling on her in the opposite direction. She whispered something to her and she smiled. "We can certainly do that." The pink clad woman only drew out one boy's name. "Why did she only draw out one name, B?" Nico asked.

"Because, if you're not letting go, you're coming with me."

* * *

**~District 11~**

A mass of red curls covered Lou Ellen's face. She sighed as she stepped in her bath. The most important part was her hair.

She didn't want it curly or wavy. She wanted it pin straight, without a hair out of place.

When her mother called her down, she had just slipped on her old dress. It used to be big on her. It was a common dress in the lower districts. It was faded blue and Lou Ellen paired it with some white ballet flats.

She walked out of her room to see all of her sisters and her parents waiting for her. She had seven other sisters, of which she was the middle. The other girls had wild flaming curls, whereas, today, Lou Ellen had faded hair from her bath and it was straight like she wanted. She took her place, the middle of all the children, each ranging in age from eighteen to eleven, all in very strategic height order… and Lou Ellen hated it. She never wanted to be a drone, a faceless child among all of the others, never receiving as much praise as Janette, the oldest, or as much attention as Lilith, the youngest.

"Lou Ellen Marks and Rue Chesterfield!" Lou Ellen immediately felt six pairs of arms latch onto her, not counting Janette and Lilith. All six girls, (in age order, youngest [twelve] to oldest [eighteen], not counting Lou Ellen, who is 14) Abigail (12), Delia (13), Kendall (15), Mia (16), Kirstie (17), and Janette (18), were all crying.

Lou Ellen looked at the little girl who was standing very politely on the stage, looking at her shiny black shoes. She immediately felt a surge of sympathy for Rue, with no one offering to take her place but the soft wind.

"Castor Rockett and Thresh Hilario!"

Castor had a twin who he was in a heated argument with, but Thresh, too, had no one.

Yes, that day, that moment, Lou Ellen was certainly not a drone.

* * *

**~District 12~**

**I'm going to skip Twelve, because we already know what happens. Zoe and Beckendorf have no one to volunteer for them.**

* * *

**This is my first Hunger Games FanFiction, so don't be too harsh... oh, who am I kidding? I take all kinds of critism, including who you'd like to die first. Vote, read, review! Thanks!**

**~Warrior **


	2. Stylists, Morphling, and Starbursts

**I guess you really did it this time  
Left yourself in your warpath  
Lost your balance on a tightrope  
Lost your mind trying to get it back  
Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?  
Always a bigger bed to crawl into  
Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything  
And everybody believed in you?  
It's alright, just wait and see  
Your string of lights is still bright to me  
Oh, who you are is not where you've been.  
You're still an innocent,  
You're still an innocent.  
Did some things you can't speak of  
But at night you live it all again  
You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now  
If only you would seen what you know now then  
Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catching days?  
When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you  
Wasn't it beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep  
Before the monsters caught up to you?  
Lost your balance on a tightrope  
It's never too late to get it back  
~Taylor Swift, Innocent**

**~District 1~**

Jason followed his sister into another compartment where their mentor was waiting. He rolled his wheelchair over to them. "My name is Chiron. What are your names?" Thalia introduced herself and Jason. "Well, come and sit down, so we may discuss your tactics." Thalia sat down and stared at Chiron. "I've never seen you before. Which Games were you in?" The man sighed and looked down at his legs. "It was not something for your eyes. These particular Games were extremely bloody. I lost the use of my legs in the process. It was the 58th Hunger Games." Jason and Thalia weren't even born at that time. Chiron was lost in memories for a moment. "Chiron, we were going to discuss tactics," Thalia interrupted. He nodded slowly and said, "The first thing you want to do is…" He was cut off by Glimmer opening the door. "Can I borrow these two for a second?" she asked. Chiron nodded.

* * *

"We want to make you an offer." Jason looked at his sister. Thalia nodded suspiciously. "You two can join the Careers, and save yourselves. You could also refuse and be first on our hit list." Glimmer smiled and tilted her head.

"You don't have to decide until training. Just remember what happens to those who aren't Careers."

* * *

Thalia didn't want to leave Jason alone with Capitol people, but she did. Although Thalia was from the top district, she never held much love for the Capitol. They had made her mother crazy and taken away her father. She was even separated from Jason since she was five and was reunited with him two years ago. When her prep team was getting her ready, her thoughts wandered, but when her stylist stepped in, she snapped back to the present. She sighed as her stylist introduced himself. "My name is Paulina Santos." She had a normal name and a normal appearance, but her hair surprised Thalia the most.

It was a deep dark brown color, but it went down to her feet and dragged on the floor slightly. "No, I do not have extensions," Paulina said. "What?" The woman gave a smile that showed off her perfect white teeth. "I don't have extensions. I knew that was what you were thinking." Thalia blushed a little bit. "Why don't we just move onto my clothes?" Thalia asked. Paulina shook her head and sat down in a chair across from Thalia. "You don't like me." Thalia bit the inside of her cheek, trying to hold back the words on her tongue.

"It's okay; I wouldn't like my stylist either if I was in your shoes. All I'm doing is making you pretty to get killed." Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Are all stylists this compassionate?" Paulina shrugged. "As far as I know, most are if they've come from the lower districts." This surprised the dark-haired girl. "You're from a lower district?" Paulina pulled up her shirtsleeve and showed Thalia a tattoo. It was a mockingjay in dark blue ink. The mockingjay was a popular symbol for District 12.

"Let's move on."

She touched a part of Thalia's hair. It had been dyed silver by her prep team earlier on. "Good; they've already done the streak," Paulina muttered. She pulled out a pair of black ballet flats. "Those look semi normal," Thalia commented. Her stylist smiled, pulling out the dress. Thalia's jaw dropped.

It was floor length and black, but that was about where Thalia's liking for it ended. It was made of a material that glittered and glowed like the night sky, or maybe a diamond. It looked like it had sleeves, but Paulina explained that it was just strips of filmy fabric that tied to her wrists, like you would find on a gypsy Halloween costume. When she put it on, Thalia couldn't deny that she looked stunning. It fit perfectly, added curves in all the right places, and added elegance to Thalia's usual attitude.

Jason's outfit was made out of the same fabric, but his was a classic tux.

"Well, let's get ready to go and entertain the masses."

**~District 2~**

After drying her tears, Annabeth made her way to the dining car, aware of the other tributes around her. This year, all the tributes had been packed onto one big train. The train made an abrupt turn and she fell into an open compartment, knocking into a tray of food. With food all over her, she turned to see one of the most handsome guys she had ever seen.

Unfortunately, he was Finnick Odair, who also happened to be talking with two of his tributes. The girl and Finnick jumped up to help her. "Are you okay?" Finnick asked. Annabeth nodded shakily. "Your clothes are all ruined. Here, I might have some in your size. Come with me," the girl said.

"I'm Katie Gardner."

"Annabeth Chase." They hadn't even made it across the room when the other boy stood up. He held the door open for them. "Who was that?" Annabeth asked. "That was Percy Jackson." Annabeth grinned, but that grin went away almost immediately. _I'm going to have to kill him. _"Don't worry, if you ever see him again on good terms, he won't bite." The two girls laughed as they walked to Katie's room. "Here, sorry, it's all I have right now." Annabeth looked at the dress skeptically. She put it on anyways.

It was gray and was made of a wispy material with an underskirt. Of course, Katie wasn't as tall as Annabeth, so where the dress might have come down to Katie's knees, it only went mid-thigh on Annabeth. Annabeth's chest was also bigger than Katie's, so there was a lot showing. She had brushed her hair out, but the curls just sprang back into place. She walked back out, still in her white heels.

"You know, gray is really your color," someone said behind her. She turned to see the boy from District 4, Percy Jackson. Annabeth blushed lightly as she studied the boy. He had black messy hair and jade green eyes. He was wearing a simple white button down shirt and black jeans. _Why do I feel so self conscious? _"I don't really have time to talk." She turned and tried to walk down the corridor quickly. "Why not? We have at least a couple of hours before we get to the Capitol." Annabeth turned a corner, right into another boy. "I'm sorry." Annabeth looked up to see a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Um, I'm here too!" Percy said. Annabeth huffed and looked down at him. She had fallen back into Percy and Annabeth landed on his chest. The blonde girl took the hand above her and the boy pulled her up. "I'm Luke Castellan." "I'm Annabeth Chase." Annabeth nodded at both boys.

"I really appreciate your help, but I need to go and see my stylist."

* * *

After getting scrubbed and washed by her prep team, Annabeth sat in a white robe, waiting for her stylist. The woman walked in and sat across from her. "I'm Artemis." That's an interesting name. Unfortunately, the woman looked like she was twelve. "Annabeth." Artemis scrutinized Annabeth with her luminous eyes. "You're eyes are, um… glowing," the blonde commented shyly. "I know," was her response, as if that cleared everything up. Her auburn hair caught the light as she moved towards Annabeth. "Yep, definitely gray." Annabeth never liked gray. It was boring and unemotional. "Why?"

"Well, it matches your eyes, of course."

Artemis pulled out the dress and shoes. "I have to walk in those?" The heels were black and about five inches high. Artemis gave Annabeth a glare. "Be grateful that the shoes for your interview aren't as high." The dress, however, was another story.

It had only one sleeve that went down to her elbow so that her other shoulder would be exposed. It was black, leading down into shades of gray, into shades of white until it ended at her knees. Annabeth understood what the diamonds were for. During her prep session, her hair had been pulled up into a French twist and had little diamonds put in. They were more like lights in the way that they all flashed different colors when they caught any sort of light. When Annabeth stood in the view of the mirror, she had to admit she looked good before her intelligence had to ruin it for her.

"Why are we getting ready on the trains?" Artemis sighed.

"From the train you are going straight to the carriages."

"But why are we all on one train?" The older woman looked at Annabeth very seriously. "President Snow wants you all to get acquainted with each other."

"But…"

"Out!" Artemis grabbed Annabeth's arm and dragged her towards the door. Annabeth went kicking and she successfully knocked over two vases and Artemis's clothes rack before being thrown very ungracefully into the hallway and landing on the floor. "Apparently, your stylist thinks I'm right." She looked up to meet green eyes. Annabeth got up and dusted herself off. "Right about what?" Percy smiled. "Gray is your color." Annabeth rolled her stormy gray eyes. "I don't suppose that you would want to hang out with me… for now?" The question was hesitant and waiting for the harsh refusal. Percy had his hands in his pockets and was looking at the floor. "Sure." Percy looked up, shocked, before smiling and saying, "Lead the way, milady."

Maybe knowing Percy Jackson wouldn't be too bad.

**~District 3~**

Leo sat in his room, awaiting his fate.

_Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, _he thought.

The truth was, he was waiting for the perfect chance to talk to Nyssa… or anybody. Other than Nyssa and his fellow tributes, one including a big guy named Frank, the silver train was deserted. For the millionth time, Leo got up and looked at his reflection.

Curly brown hair, mischievous brown eyes, tan skin, all in place; all familiar. The sight of himself gave him a little bit of comfort in this strange place. The first sign of other people on the train was the sound of breaking glass and loud cursing. He walked outside to see a very pretty girl kneeling on the ground in front of broken glass, metal, and a clear substance. It had all seemed to come from her bag.

"Hey, can you help?" she asked. She had a musical voice, like wind chimes. "Leo Valdez at your service." They cleaned up the mess, but Leo noticed something off about the transparent shards. They all seemed curved and the pieces of metal were very thin and very sharp. One had pierced the girl in the hand, so they were definitely sharp enough to break human skin. "Let's get that cleaned up." Leo led her to the bathroom and she went inside, closing the door behind her.

He took this time to inspect the broken glass, seeing how it all fit together. Leo's mother had taught him a lot before a riot, most of the damage caused by the Peacekeepers, set her workshop on fire. Then the shape struck him, just as the girl walked out.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Piper McClean."

Leo followed her down the hall to her room, telling her about how he was very bored and then explained a game to her in which one would ask the other a question then answer it themselves and vice versa. "How do you know this game?" Piper asked. Leo's eyes turned to the metal door that was blocking him off from Piper's room. "My mom taught it to me." Piper opened her door and sat down on her bed, patting the space next to her on the green comforter. "Why don't you start the game?" Piper asked in an attempt to get the mood back to normal.

"Alright… district?"

"Seven. You?"

"Three."

Then they asked the standard questions: favorite color (Brown for Piper, orange for Leo), animal (Zebra and Mockingjay), etcetera. Then they got to the deep questions, only being interrupted once when Leo was called in for his carriage outfit.

His stylist was nothing special, just a petite girl with strawberry blonde hair and deep, deep green eyes. She was kind of scary, especially since she didn't say a word other than to introduce herself. Her name was some kind of gem. Diamond, Emerald...

He returned to Piper's room in a suit; white to be exact. "Well, don't you look fancy?" Piper exclaimed. "I can't show the surprise just yet, Beauty Queen," he said winking.

Leo had taken to calling her that after finding out that her dad was a movie star and her mom was a model who traveled too often. "You know about my parents, now what about you?" Leo's mood soured. "I never met my dad, though my mom always said that he'd be back someday; he was busy." "Did he ever?" Leo shook his head. "Well, what about your…"

"Mom? She was a mechanic. One day, she had taken me to work and we were just about to lock up. She forgot her keys so she went back inside. Then a riot broke out. All the buildings were on lockdown and I was stuck outside. The riot was only about ten people, but the Peacekeepers did so much more. They actually burned my mom's workshop to the ground."

Piper reached out to put her hand on Leo's shoulder and her blue eyes filled with tears. Leo would cry, but he couldn't; not in front of Piper McClean, Beauty Queen extraordinaire.

"Now it's time for me to ask you a question. Why were there syringes filled with morphling in your bag?"

**~District 4~**

Percy and Annabeth sat in Percy's room talking and laughing. "Percy, out stylist needs to see you." The pair looked up to see Katie Gardner, looking stunning.

Her hair had been braided with strips of blue ribbon and pinned back with two barrettes that were the same color of her eyes. Her dress sleeves went down to her elbows and were made of some wispy material. Her dress was a beautiful blue color and it was floor length. She had no shoes on. Percy supposed that their stylist was going with water as their theme. "See you later, Annabeth." As he walked down the hall, Percy didn't realize how much he had learned about Annabeth.

Her mom left when she was born, she loved her step-brothers, but her step-mom didn't like her, she loved architecture, she was really smart, her favorite color was green, her favorite animal was an owl, and she only ate pink and red Starbursts. The shocking thing was he _remembered _all of it. He couldn't even study for a test, but half an hour with a girl made his memory switch on. He entered the room where his stylist was.

It was a teenage guy that, for a lack of a better word, was hot. He had perfect blonde hair and shiny white teeth. "Hey. I'm Apollo." Percy shook hands with Apollo. "I don't suppose you object to the color blue?" Percy shook his head, still not talking. "Alright, get into this." Apollo pulled out a blue suit that was the same color of Katie's dress. He put it on and Apollo pulled out a bowl of water and then proceeded to pour it on the suit, but instead of falling off or absorbing it, it stuck and flowed over the suit.

"Hey, man, you sure you're okay? This got a huge reaction out of Katie." Percy just shrugged his shoulders. "It's a girl, isn't it?" Percy nodded. "Well, what's she like?"

Percy just shrugged again and walked out, the water still flowing over his suit and his head filled with thoughts about how he was going to face Annabeth when the time came.

* * *

**No, I'm not dead. I know this took a long time, but never underestimate me. I've decided to only do four districts this time. Here's the question of the chapter:**

**Who is Leo's stylist?**

**Hint: Read some of my more recent stories to find out who she is. **

**In any case, read on my loyal viewers!**

**~ Warrior**


	3. Hey, Guys

Hey, guys. I am writing this author's note to let you know about my prolonged absence.

My computer, which has all my saved documents, is not working. It has been overloaded or not shut down right or whatever. I'm not able to work on them; however, I will try my best.

I also am going to start up about two-three new stories on here and FictionPress. I know I promised you guys updates and I have a new guideline for them:

**75th Hunger Games: Double the Number (Percy Jackson and the Hunger Games)- One-two week updates**

**150 Things I Won't do When I Visit Camp Half Blood (Kane Chronicles)- Unknown**

**Avatars (Total Drama Series)- Discontinued**

**Demigods and Egyptians (House of Anubis)- One-two week updates**

**House of Anubis: Season 3 (House of Anubis)- Two-three week updates**

**House of Music (House of Anubis)- Three-four week updates**

**Human Rights (Total Drama Series)- Unknown**

**I'll See You Soon (Night World Series)- Unknown**

**Jara: A-Z (House of Anubis)- One-five day updates**

**Just Sing! (Harry Potter)- Unknown**

**Scary Godmother: Fluffy One-shots- Discontinued**

**School of the Arts (Night World)- Unknown**

**Seven Others (Percy Jackson)- Three-four week updates**

**Spellbinder (TDI)- Unknown**

**Ten Songs, Ten Drabbles (Percy Jackson)- One-shot**

**The Bone Girl (TDI)- One-shot**

**The Games (TDI)- Unknown**

**The Man in the Fallout Shelter (Bones)- One-shot**

**The New Year (Pitch Perfect)- One-two week updates**

I feel so awful that there are so many discontinued and unknown stories that I have. It makes me feel like I've let you guys down. I'm really, REALLY sorry that I have lost the drive and the ideas to continue some and keep constant updates.

I am falling behind on my grades, getting ready for choir concerts, Fall Festival for theater, and a bunch of other stuff. I am so deeply sorry. Please don't hate me. This might be my last post for a while.

I will try SO hard to keep these updates constant until I have reached the very end. That hasn't happened so far, and I have to keep more than one story going, or else I get bored.

Please forgive me.

~Warrior


End file.
